Certain dryer appliances include a cabinet with a drum rotatably mounted therein. A heating assembly, such as an electric resistance heating element or a gas burner, can supply heated air to a chamber of the drum. For example, certain dryer appliances include a duct mounted to a back wall of the drum. The duct can direct heated air from the heating assembly into the chamber of the drum during operation of the dryer appliance. The duct generally includes an inlet that receives heated air from the heating assembly and a plurality of outlets for directing such heated air into the chamber of the drum. In particular, the back wall of the drum can define an opening, and outlets of the duct can be positioned such that heated air from the duct enters the chamber through the back wall's opening. Such heated air can assist with drying articles located within the drum's chamber.
In certain dryer appliances, the back wall of the drum is fixed or stationary. In such dryer appliances, the duct is generally mounted or secured to the back wall with fasteners that extend through the duct and into the back wall at an outer flange of the back wall that is spaced apart from the back wall's opening. Thus, the fasteners are remotely positioned relative to the back wall's opening. Due to the fasteners position, gaps between the duct and the back wall can arise, and such gaps can permit air leakage into the drum's chamber. Such air leakage can negatively affect performance of the dryer appliance. In particular, such air leakage can result in increased temperature of heated air exiting the duct's outlets.
Heated air exiting the duct's outlets is preferably maintained below a certain threshold temperature, e.g., to avoid damaging articles that are drying within the chamber of the drum and other overheating problems. Certain dryer appliances are equipped with temperature sensors for monitoring the temperature of heated air entering the drum's chamber. If the temperature sensor detects overly hot air entering the drum's chamber, the heating assembly can be deactivated or cycled. Such cycling can negatively affect performance of the dryer appliance by increasing drying times. Thus, air leakages into the drum's chamber through gaps between the duct and the back wall can negatively affect dryer performance.
Accordingly, a dryer appliance with features for improving performance of a dryer appliance would be useful. In particular, a dryer appliance with features for hindering or limiting air leakages through gaps between a duct of the dryer appliance and a back wall of a drum of the dryer appliance would be useful.